convergence
beautiful
,
biology
,
cells
,
myth
,
photography
MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTION(S) OF THE YEAR: "So what do you want to major in? What kind of career would you like to pursue? What schools are you interested in? Would you like to embark on a trip to Phileo with me, and be my potential girlfriend?"
So maybe the frozen yogurt question doesn't happen often--at all-- but the answers to most of the questions do not describe me or my interests at all. My life isn't black-and-white; it's splattered with gray, littered with specks of orange-I'm a walking contradiction, and my interests do not align perfectly into the left or the right. They are equally divided, but when they converge, it's like the stars are aligning and the meaning of my life has finally been discovered. I'm majoring in biology and history; I want to be a dentist, but also a freelance photographer and a blogger for a website just for kicks but really, to keep my sanity. Anyways, I know my interests fuse and combine to formulate my sense of purpose in life(what makes me happy), but they actually do really come together in the most convenient places.
The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition celebrates photography in it's most minuscule viewpoint; thousands of entries from dozens of countries entered the 37th annual contest, and here are some of the winners. These photos are just ... enigmatic.
So maybe the frozen yogurt question doesn't happen often--at all-- but the answers to most of the questions do not describe me or my interests at all. My life isn't black-and-white; it's splattered with gray, littered with specks of orange-I'm a walking contradiction, and my interests do not align perfectly into the left or the right. They are equally divided, but when they converge, it's like the stars are aligning and the meaning of my life has finally been discovered. I'm majoring in biology and history; I want to be a dentist, but also a freelance photographer and a blogger for a website just for kicks but really, to keep my sanity. Anyways, I know my interests fuse and combine to formulate my sense of purpose in life(what makes me happy), but they actually do really come together in the most convenient places.
The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition celebrates photography in it's most minuscule viewpoint; thousands of entries from dozens of countries entered the 37th annual contest, and here are some of the winners. These photos are just ... enigmatic.
Wim van Egmond of the Micropolitan Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands photographed a Leptodora kindtii (giant waterflea) eye from a living specimen using the differential interference contrast method. (Wim van Egmond)
Thomas Deerinck of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research in La Jolla, Calif. captured HeLa (cancer) cells at 300x magnification with 2-photon fluorescence. (Thomas Deerinck) #
Dr. Christopher Guerin of the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology in Ghent, Belgium photographed cultured cells growing on a bio-polymer scaffold using the confocal method at 63x magnification. (Dr. Christopher Guerin) #
Douglas Moore of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point used stereomicroscopy and fiber optics to photograph unpolished agatized ca. 150 million years old dinosaur bone cells magnified 42 times. (Douglas Moore) #
Using laser-triggered high-speed macrophotography, Dr. John H. Brackenbury of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK captured a water droplet containing a pair of mosquito larvae. (Dr. John H. Brackenbury) #
The embryonic pectoral fin of a whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) was photographed by Dr. Andrew Gillis of the University of Cambridge using stereomicroscopy with fiber optic lighting. (Dr. Andrew Gillis) #
Ugh. Why am I crying over these instead of studying for my bio exam tomorrow!? Oh, and also, I'm not really a fan of microscopes, because I can never adjust them properly, but after viewing these, my goal is to learn how to properly use the school's beautiful Leica machine, and enjoy the AESTHETIC PLEASURE OF BIOLOGY. OH, AND INTERESTING MYTH-BUSTER OF THE DAY!!
Can anything live forever?
YES! The immortal jellyfish sure can.
Reproduction by budding occurs in thousands of species, and has gone on with few modifications for half a billion years. What makes the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula so special is that once it reproduces, it doesn't die, but transforms itself back into its juvenile polyp state, resembling a stalk with tentacles like a tiny sea urchin. Their adult cells--even their eggs and sperm--melt into simpler forms of themselves, and the whole organism becomes "young" again. Barring any sea-borne dangers, there is no biological reason why it can't live forever.
Reproduction by budding occurs in thousands of species, and has gone on with few modifications for half a billion years. What makes the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula so special is that once it reproduces, it doesn't die, but transforms itself back into its juvenile polyp state, resembling a stalk with tentacles like a tiny sea urchin. Their adult cells--even their eggs and sperm--melt into simpler forms of themselves, and the whole organism becomes "young" again. Barring any sea-borne dangers, there is no biological reason why it can't live forever.
Today, I tried to draw for the first time.. The last time I tried was in elementary school.. Well, er, I drew these at around noon today using a Ticonderoga pencil and the backs of my bio powerpoint sheets.. I'm still a bit indecisive about the pieces, but I want to complete them. I kind of wish that I took an art class- it's a really nice way to rewind and lose myself. I ordered new moleskines today, and also some pens and pencils so I can actually manually write poems/journal entries. My best friend is also going to mail me some of her old sketchbooks, so that's exciting! I hope she sends me one with her old work in it.
I used to make a lot of witty sentences in Spanish using this band's name back in the day, but I dropped AP Spanish to continue with Latin so ya... I've actually been listening to Yo La Tengo a lot recently, and a part of me- A VERY MINUSCULE PART- wishes that I continued Spanish just to say sentences with the band name in my head.. Promising education
MOST RELEVANT NEWS BREAK OF THE DAY
history
,
humor
,
presidents
I am literally loling so much. My life will forever be complete with these inappropriate, yet highly entertaining posts. Thank you, world wide web, for shedding a bright, fluorescent light to my otherwise dull and lacking life of incomplete college essays and unfinished/not-even-started schoolwork. KUDOS 2 YOU
art
,
music
,
photography
Things That Have Made Me Extremely Happy in the Past 48 Hours:
- Answering all of the questions on history.com's quiz correctly!!
- Bubble Tea & Pho (ATM I am in complete bliss b/c of the strawberry bubble tea I bought on Adams Ave. just now..KUDOS to senior year slacking..)
- Looking at my friend's beautifully sculpted portfolio
- Being "in the zone" when I wrote an analysis at midnight
- A large amount of calories in the form of a chocolately dessert
I've been running a lot of random errands and going on sporadic outings with friends lately; yesterday, after school, I decided to go to Philly to get some donuts at Krispy Kreme, and then hang out a bit before I went home to nap for 2.5 hours.. I started my homework at midnight, and went to bed at one. Today, I went to Best Buy to purchase a new television, went to Trader Joes to pick up groceries, and then went to Pho to get bubble tea. I skipped my daily nap, so I could watch 3 hours of Law & Order: SVU.. Do I regret this? Never. I'm really tired right now, but I still need to run, and at least start the huge pile of homework I have due for Thursday. Tomorrow is senior give back day and I have off, but I think I'm heading to North Jersey to go to a sauna, so I have to study for my bio test and write a paper tonight.. Ideally, I should probably starting doing these tasks, but realistically, my eyes are shutting and caffeine will not be my savior tonight.
Nineteen, young and free. Stephen Beadle's work is absolutely stunning, and I'm really inspired by his style of photography- his execution aligns perfectly with what I eventually what my style to progress to be. His shots are revitalizing, fresh and quaint with that perfect mixture of old and new. AND he's nineteen and serves as his own model? CHECK OUT more of his stunning work here
I've been listening to Lykke Li all week.
AND THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE SEEN ALL DAY
DAILY STRUGGLE
I really wish more than anything right now that I had some type of artistic ability in order to design my own Papernomad, or I had the type of intuition and focus that would allow me to finish writing a paper instead of diverging myself in my daily intake of the web... Anyways, Papernomad is a company that makes sleeves for items like the iPad, Macbook, blackberry,iphone, etc, but the material it uses is a non-flammable,heat retardant paper that can be drawn on! I really want to purchase the laptop sleeve, because I don't have a carrier for my laptop, and I think it's just really cool to be able to design your own via a black sharpie!
HOWEVER, these beauts are a bit pricey, ranging from $38 dollars for a Blackberry/iPhone case to $58 for a laptop/iPad sleeve. PURCHASE YOUR OWN here
Which reminds me.. I'm setting a list of goals that I want to do before December, or more likely, after I finish the college application process.
- Practice the piano and learn 2 of my favorite songs
- Practice drawing so I can create something to remember senior year, and also, so I can draw my own design instead of asking my artistically inclined friends to do it
AND AND AND!
Lately, I've been into a lot of contemporary art, but check out these architecture photos manipulated by Nicholas Kennedy Sitton!
for emma
maybe i'm not the biggest fan of the 5-11 age group, but hanging out with this rascal is something that I love to do during my fun-filled weekends of schoolwork and museum outings. When she enters that phase of battling with self-image and finding the right group of cool, preteen friends, I want to hand her an album of photos and memories of her childhood and tell her the years to come will definitely be..something
THE SECRET IS OUT
As a high school senior, waking up at six AM is the biggest struggle of my young, adolescent life, and in order to persevere and motivate myself to get up, coffee is a necessity. My thermos is like my infant at those early hours of the day, but when I'm buying coffee at a store like Starbucks, I only get Americanos and items on the "secret menu." If you haven't heard about this yet, then this post will enlighten you to this other side of Starbucks- the "classified" one.
Chocolate Dalmation A White Chocolate Mocha with java chips and chocolate chips sprinkled in.
Captain Crunch Hazelnut syrup in a Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino
For a more complete list visit: this
For a more complete list visit: this
BUT WHAT IF you're one of those people against Starbucks, because of it's high prices and.. (insert reason here), and you brew your own coffee at home? Do you still want to try something that's "secret?" Well then, here's one of my own top secret recipes!
HOT CHOC. REMIX (I know, very creative?)
YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 Cup of Coffee
- 1 Hot Chocolate Packet
- Milk
- Cream
Put the hot chocolate mix into a mug, and fill the cup 1/4 with coffee. Stir the mixture, and then add more coffee until the cup is 3/4 filled. Stir again, and then add a small amount of cream and milk. Fill the rest of the cup with coffee, and enjoy!
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